Training & Certification
A repeatable program turns a founder-built method into an institution: every assessment, every record, every attestation runs the same way regardless of who holds the pen.
Confidential · June 2026. This document describes the intended training and certification scheme for the govrn delivery organization. Today the standard is exercised by the founding team on synthetic data; the certification levels and counts below are the structure we are building toward, not a credential register that exists yet. Independence between the building/operating body and the attesting body is an intended structure (pre-entity today).
Why a certification scheme
The govrn standard is only worth its name if a record produced in one engagement means the same thing as a record produced in another. Repeatability is the product. The curriculum below trains people to run the arc — Assess → Design → Implement → Operate → Attest → re-baseline — identically, and the certification levels gate who is allowed to do what, with the sharpest line drawn around attestation.
The program maps directly onto the roles in team: the curriculum is the on-ramp from a new hire into a Lead Assessor, Solutions Architect, Governance Engineer, Delivery Lead, or Attestation Lead.
Curriculum modules
Every track draws from a shared module library; tracks differ in depth and which modules are mandatory.
| Module | Covers |
|---|---|
| M1 — The Standard | govrn = See + Prove; the assessment plus attestation logic; what "never self-certified" means |
| M2 — The Three Lenses | Technology, Security, AI lens scopes, evidence requirements, and boundaries |
| M3 — Product-AI Review | reviewing the AI a company ships; fair-housing / tenant-screening exposure (the Grace Hill "Gracie" pattern) |
| M4 — The Crosswalks | NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001, EU AI Act, OWASP, MITRE ATLAS, CSF 2.0 mappings |
| M5 — The Toolchain | OPA/Rego, OSCAL, Langfuse, OpenTelemetry, Atlas/Marquez, SIEM/IdP/secrets |
| M6 — The Aperture Engine | metadata-only ("pointers, not payloads"), deterministic measurement, shadow-AI surfacing, cost attribution |
| M7 — Independence & Ethics | separation of duties; conflict firewalls; "modeled" vs "measured" honesty discipline |
| M8 — The Delivery Method | the engagement arc, the annuity loop, re-baselining, evidence handling, client handoff |
Certification tracks
Each track is a mandatory module subset plus a practicum on synthetic or sanctioned client data.
- Assessor — M1, M2, M3, M4, M8. Runs the three-lens assessment and product-AI review; produces findings against the crosswalks.
- Governance Engineer — M1, M5, M6, M8. Stands up and operates the toolchain and Aperture connectors; keeps the record current.
- Solutions Architect — M1, M2, M5, M6, M8. Designs the target-state governance estate and the implementation that closes assessment gaps.
- Attestation — M1, M2, M4, M7 (deep), M8. Reviews a completed record and issues the independent attestation. M7 is the spine of this track, not a footnote.
Certification levels
Levels stack: each requires the one below it.
- govrn Certified Associate — completed M1, M2, M7, plus an open-book exam. Can contribute to assessments and operate the engine under supervision. Signs nothing.
- govrn Certified Practitioner — a track completion (Assessor / Engineer / Architect) + a graded practicum on synthetic data. Can lead the technical execution of their track and author sections of a record.
- govrn Certified Lead / Assessor — Practitioner + a delivered engagement under review. Can own a client record end-to-end and sign the assessment and design deliverables; cannot sign an attestation.
- govrn Certified Attestor — Lead + M7 mastery + a proctored independence practicum. Can review a finished record and sign the attestation — and only when not in the chain that built or operated that record.
What each level unlocks
| Level | Prerequisite | Can do / sign | Exam | Recert |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Associate | — | Contribute, operate engine supervised; signs nothing | Open-book written | 24 mo |
| Practitioner | Associate + track | Lead track execution; author record sections | Track exam + practicum | 24 mo |
| Lead / Assessor | Practitioner + 1 reviewed engagement | Own record; sign assessment & design | Portfolio review | 18 mo |
| Attestor | Lead + M7 mastery | Sign independent attestation | Proctored independence practicum | 12 mo |
Independence is a hard requirement, not a perk
The Attestor credential exists to enforce structural separation of duties: an attestation is valid only when the signer is independent of the body that built and ran the record. The shorter 12-month recert reflects that an attestation is valid only against a fresh record — the annuity loop's continuous measurement applies to the attestor's currency too. No one signs an attestation on an estate they assessed, designed, implemented, or operated. The curriculum trains the discipline; the certification gates it; the eventual entity structure makes it enforceable.